Friday, April 13, 2007

Favorite Children's Books

I'm co-opting another idea from Sallie at A Gracious Home. She had listed her favorite picture books. Since I couldn't get the idea out of my head I decided to list mine as well.

1. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. Wonderful book with sweet illustrations. To me the moral of the story is that newer and bigger isn't necessarily better.

2. That Old Sooner Hound by Arna Bontemps . This is one my son found at the school library. I love the can-do attitude.

3. The Goodnight Circle by Carolyn Lesser. I'm fascinated by the concept of "the circle". The circle of the day, night, week, month, year et. al. This book is a beautiful look at what happens to a variety of animal mothers and babies as the night moves through it's circle.

4. Pumpkin Moonshine by Tasha Tudor. Such a sweet innocent Halloween story, and who can argue with Tasha Tudor's illustrations.

5. Dogger by Shirley Hughes. A little boy loses his beloved stuffed dog, and his sister sacrificies to get him back. Dogger looks an awful lot like my son's beloved stuffed dog so I have a special affinity for this book.

6. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams . A true classic.

7. The Blue Hill Meadows by Cynthia Rylant. Another circle book! This one is written in four chapters each focusing on a different season of the year. Sweet little vignettes of pleasant family life.

8. Today at the Bluebird Cafe: A Branchful of Birds by Deborah Ruddell. This is a new book of poetry that I just discovered. I love birds. The illustrations are very well done and the poems are engaging.

9. The Mercy Watson Series by Kate Dicamillo. Fun, Lively, Adventure!

Finally, not actually a picture book, but my all time favorite children's book is "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo. I cried at the end of this book. It is the story of a jaded, unappreaciative rabbit who discovers the true meaning of Love. An absolutely beautiful, well-written book.

2 comments:

Thanks so much for posting your favorite children's books. I am always on the lookout for interesting reads for my little ones- we go through books at a rapid clip. I opened a new window and ordered several from Amazon! I know when I read your recommended books to my children, I will be thinking of the parents who lost their children in yesterday's horrible tragedy at VT. My heart goes out to them. It makes me that much more determined to love and appreciate every moment I have with my children. Reading together is a joy. Thanks for your post today.